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2013-10-25 - The End of Time: This is Goodbye
There has been no contact between Hope Summers and Xavier's Institute after she left with Emil beyond a phone call saying, "We have a place to stay." It's as if she didn't want them to worry, but she effective cut off ties. It likely wasn't the kindness thing to do. Even Xavier had trouble finding her and actually had to find Emil. And his reaction to Emil? "Jean, Emil has your daughter's psychic signature, but it is fading. He is fading. You need to go to her. She is also planning something dangerous and Emil is greatly worried about her." That is how Marvel Girl and Beast got all involved and wrapped up into this. Nathaniel Richards a.k.a. Iron Lad on the other hand was simply called up. "I need backup. Emil knows how to handle weapons and is combat trained, but we need heavy fire power I'm suspecting to hit a research facility that I suspect is doing experiments on mutants." They are actually located at a cheap motel, but respectable one in Westchester, the county between North Salem and New York City. Inside the room, Emil is prepping a sub-machine gun and tucking a handgun into a strap at his lower back. He seems familiar with the weapons. Traveler had changed into her black uniform and Cyclops' old X-Men yellow belt. She has cleaned her energy handguns and has a plasma rifle hanging from her back on a strap. She is speaking to Iron Lad right now, "The research facility has shielding around it. It can be shut down from the outside from what I figured by short-circuiting the feedback routers. The way to raise it is definitely located inside the facility, so we would need to be quick." And that is when Marvel Girl and Beast park the jeep outside the door of the motel room. Hank is driving, nad Jean is in civvies with her costume over underneath, and as much as she can is trying to telepathically sweep ahead. Events as of late have been moving faster than she can keep up with, so for the moment Jean is quiet, a passive participant, but ready for whatever trouble she and Hank might get over and into. For now, her plan is simply just to find Hope and take her home. Nathaniel answers the call quickly. He has been searching for them, and working in some solution to the problem in his spare time. Angry and worried about the situation. He listens to Hope with his arms folded, while looking at Emil at the same time. "Hope, listen. This is not the moment to perform this operation. You have more pressing problems," he starts. "Really? And how many will suffer and even die as I deal with 'other things'?" Hope looks fiercely at Nathaniel at that. Emil shrugs, having long accepted his own fading, though his expression is disappointed when he looks at Nathaniel and worried when he looks at Hope. His thoughts are consumed with Hope's safety and health when he fades away. Hope's on the other hand are shying from thinking of losing Emil which her sub-conscious has already acknowledged. The mission is what she concentrates on, trusting Emil at her back. She fought Brood with him, she knows he can handle himself. She will not be detoured, the mission is what matters...what she must carry on for. Emil finally speaks, "Look, let's just deal with one thing at a time," operating as peace maker. "This facility needs shut down, and the scientist wiped clean," and Emil would not pause in killing each one to make sure that no more of Hope's people suffered, there isn't even a concept that he should feel guilty of such thoughts. He was raised a warrior, a soldier, much as Hope was...though he also has his ability to feel compassion as Hope does...two peas in a pod. Hank was wearing an imagine inducer, so had his uniform on but it looks like he was a white guy with a pony tail, a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes on with a really hot chick in his passenger seat. It looks like some guys get all the luck, but not really. He pulls into the parking place and he looks to Jean, "Is this the place?" Jean Grey nods lightly and rubs the tip of her head, "Yes, I think I'm picking her up from on in there. Do you want me to handle this when we go on in or not?" Jean takes a breath, "And we're going to take her back with us then?" Jean goes to get out of the passenger door as they stop. "Think instead how many will suffer and die if you refuse to deal with the other thing first," replies Nathaniel, sounding angry for the first time since Hope met him. "Emil is going to die soon, and you are being manipulated by a future self. And some futures lead to dark roads, Hope. I know all too well. You need to deal with those problems before continuing your quest." Beast shakes his head, "Not unless she's in distress. She's an adult, I think. We're not her guardians. She has rights." He shakes, "No we're just checking on her. If she needs help and it's not illegal we'll help." He shrugs, "Come on we might as well find out Jean." He gets out of the seat and goes to knock on the motel door. "Here's hoping this is the right room and I am not interrupting a mid-afternoon tryst of too adulterous people." And when Hope looks over at Nathaniel, there is so much rage, hurt, and perhaps...even some hatred. But those words from Nathaniel, they cut deep enough, the young man may be surprised the girl before him doesn't start literally bleeding from the wounds he just opened on her. Emil slings the assault rifle over one shoulder and moves to tug on Hope to face him instead and goes to hug her tightly. There are no tears from Hope. Emil finally says, "I don't know if another Hope is involved or not, I never heard her voice. But unless you have a way to -fix- it, drop it," the young man states firmly and even coldly toward Nathaniel. And that is when there is a knock on the door... Emil still holds Hopes, but she stiffens in his embrace. And after a moment she pushes away, eyes still dry. She doesn't look at Nathaniel however as she moves to peek through the peeking hole. She sighs, suddenly sounding tired and exhausted. She moves to open the door, "What do you two want? You already said Emil wasn't welcomed, and I'm not going -ANYWHERE- without him," and she scowls. "And I have things I need to do." Especially armed to the teeth like she is. Jean Grey sighs, and glances over at Hank, "Whatever you're about to do, Hope.. What are you going to do? With all those guns?" She's guessing that they're somewhere even if not immediately visible. "You're not only putting yourself over at risk but you're putting others as well. Just how many bodies are you going to pile up?" "I might be able, and I am sure there are people that can help you," replies Nathaniel. "I have been in contact with Reed Richards," he pauses, since there are folks at the door. X-Men? This complicates matters, or maybe they can help. He looks at Emil, "why are you giving up after coming all the way here? You are not dead yet." Beast turns off his imagine inducer, "Jean wait a moment calm down." He nods to Nathaniel and Emil. He look to Hope, "Uhm Jean asks valid questions but perhaps in a tone and manner that would indicate she might be bordering on hysteria. If you would care to inform us of what in the Sam Hill is going on?' Emil says quietly, "Aren't I? I died in a nuke blast," before he then turns his back to Nathaniel. Hope presses her lips into a thin line, before she finally says, "I never claimed to be anything I wasn't Jean, or hid what I'm willing to do. The world isn't a pretty place, not in reality. Look, I'm going, I don't have time for this stupid drama. The facility needs brought down, otherwise lots of people are going to suffer, and that's a fact." Hope is quiet for a moment at Beast's words. "A facility that is working on mutant experimentation of some kind. I discovered when tracking some information about Mr. Sinister...but he isn't involved in any way I can tell, the trail he laid was false, but dumped me on this instead. My guess, he wanted me to discover it for some reason, but Mr. Sinister operates on his own rules which involve fucking over and helping mutant kind at his damn convenience, whichever gains the mutant evolution that would interest him the most," and Hope scowls at that thought. Jean Grey rubs at her head, and sighs, "Hope, think long and hard before you go down this route." Jean closes her eyes, "I cannot stop you, but I will not be a part of you going in and waging an assassination attempt on anyone." Her words are tired and exhausted. Knowing that she can't stop Hope from doing what she's afraid the girl is. "And think long and hard if you decide that this is to be your fate." "Assassination...," Hope sighs. "Look, leave me alone or support me, there isn't really any other option either of us can live with, your choice." Hope then starts to turn away, "I'm leaving, those supporting me can come, those not, can stay behind." She then opens a slide cover on her chunky metal bracelet. Emil moves to put a hand on her shoulder, supporting her and announcing silently that he is going. "What? Why? The X-Men should be willing to help neutralizing that facility, it would be easier to avoid casualties if you do." Iron Lad shakes his head. "And yet, it is secondary to other matters. We can destroy this facility anytime, from any temporal vector. Keeping Emil anchored to this time is a more immediate problem. He needs either another chrono-psychic energy charge or a stronger anchoring in this timeline. Ms. Grey, are you able to manipulate time?" Beast raises an eyebrow, "Young Master Richards is the voice of reason here. Yes, the X-men can and will be willing to neutralize the facility. Especially if it saves lives." He looks to Hope, "Even those that most wouldn't deem worth saving." He though reaches into a pouch and produces something that looks like a medical tricorder from ST:TNG and makes his way over to Emil, "May I?" He looks at Jean, she'd been the phoenix after all. Jean Grey nods over at Hank, "Yes. This sort of thing can be left over to us." She gestures over at Hank then to give her permission as well then if he needs to test something over on her. "Well, I'm not waiting till tomorrow to do this, do what you want," and with that, Hope is pushing the button, and people only have a half a second or so to grab onto her to go with her... Beast shakes his head, "I will stop any killing from occurring but I will help." With that he reaches over to grab Emil's shoulder, "Odd this is familiar." Jean Grey goes o reach out as well, taking a breath. She can stop anyone from dying along on this? Can't she? And probably gets teleported along. "Hope, wait!" Nathaniel jumps to grab the stubborn redhead, but instead he ends up going with her. Ah well, maybe he should change the armor appearance to look like Ultron or something. Otherwise Stark is going to end up kicking him out of the Academy. Not likely considering how illegal this facility is, not that they don't have tons of government contracts. Because Beast is going to recognize some of the research here... When the arrive, Traveler moves to shrug people off of her, "Geez, squeezing hard enough." She then speaks with Emil, "The generators, there are four of them," and she points to their general locations. "Iron Lad, Beast, Emil," saying each in turn with each point, "Do not get seen. Override the repair panel and short-circuit it, the shielding will drop down." Traveler explains how this will be done, she must have already studied one of them. The place is strange. It's rocky and hot, dusty and a bit sandy too. There is a blue shimmering energy over a research facility, plain and looking to be made out of cement perhaps? It is large however, very massive. Jean Grey nods quietly, and goes to try and put up a telepathic cloaking field around the group, broadcasting it for as far as she can manage then to hopefully give them a bi of cover now then as the group readied to split up and Hope gave her plan out, and she went to close her eyes, "All right. But no one dies." Nathaniel checks their position in his HUD and sighs. This is a waste of time. "I can handle the short-circuiting," he notes, "I just need access to their network." It is not even hacking, you don't hack and abacus, and that is what modern computers seem to Iron Lad. He is already scanning for wireless communications, and activating the armor camo system to become harder to see. Hank nods, "I am Vengeance! I am the Night! I am... never mind." Then sneaky like a ninja the dark blue mutant goes bounding and bouncing across the compound to his target. He reaches up to slip in a com link. "Infiltrating right now." He slips in behind two guards never seeing him. He makes his way to the security hut realizing somebody is on guard in there. He knocks on the door, "Candy gram, for Mongo!" The guard inside says, "What? DeJarnett stop screwing around! It wasn't funny last time." Hank waggles his eyebrows, "Candygram for Mongo!" The door opens up, "DeJarnett I said.. You're not..." Hank knocks the guard out with one punch then dragging the guard behind him shutting the door. "Nope but I'm a stinker aren't I?" Then he goes to the repair console shutting it down, "Generator 3 down." Traveler then snaps at Nathaniel, "Then -DO- it, don't waste my time. Twenty minutes behind, we missed the guard shift change, so we have to take them out or avoid getting caught." Emil is already moving. And Nathaniel will realize that NOTHING is wireless in this entire facility. It is extremely high security. Traveler is already moving to head toward hers, and Marvel Girl is left behind to change and decide what she is going to do or who to follow...or wait for people to regather. It won't take long for Emil and Traveler to handle their shield containers/feedbackers....though they will not hesitate with snapping a neck or two. Jean Grey closes her eyes, trying to trace each of the guards within her senses. If she can, trying to form a mindlink over of the team members as they spread out, trying to help coordinate them and warn them of approaching guards. Nathaniel does notice there are not even cell phones inside the facility, that is remarkable secure for the age. What are they building there? He has the impression Hope is jumping without looking first. On the other hand she also knows how the generators work. Iron Lad studies the wiring for a few seconds, finally deciding just to do what Hope suggested, overriding the panel and causing a short-circuit. When a guard, or technician, comes to investigate, he stuns him with an electrical discharge. After the stabilizers are disabled via short circuiting, the force field twitches and spasms before it warps, expands, and overwhelms itself as it shuts down. Dust moves in a bit and there is an eerie silence once the outside guards have been handled. Strange the force field would have stabilizers outside like that, isn't it? Still, Traveler gathers the group and moves forward, across the almost 'drawbridge' that appears to have been created from metal. One may notice that the facility is actually built atop stone where a dark yawning crevice surrounds it. Still, it's dark and likely ends somewhere hard and unpleasant below. As the group moves forward, Traveler works to set some explosives on the door and moves back as it counts down. Jean puts up a force field of her own telekinesis as a precaution to protect them from debris. As they enter the main hall, a security alarm is going off and Traveler says, "Beast, Marvel Girl, I need you to go that way," and she points down the hall. "Emil and I can go that way," and she points the opposite direction. "Iron Lad, I need you to access research files and security, you and Beast are the only ones with the real techno-know-how. Any idea where that may be?" There are only two directions to choose from. Jean Grey nods over at Hope's instructions, shaking her head, "All right. I'll maintain a mental link with everyone as we split up. And Hank, please.. No Scooby Doo references this time, all right?" Jean would head off in the direction pointed then, if allowed trying to establish a mental link for all of the group as they split up. Beast makes a mental note to discuss tactics, battle field objectives, and task management with the JR. mutant revolutionary, I.E. Hope in the future. He looks up at Jean, "What's that Daphne? Least I get to play Fred this time. I should have brought Cyclops Ascot with me." He then bounces to the ceiling and goes to proceed in the direction ordered by Hope. Nathaniel has been trying to figure out the layout of the installation for a while. He is still working on it, but when the mind-link is established. He has drawn some conclusions from his armor sensors. < This mind link... never mind. > There is a brief and quickly suppressed memory about cybernetic mind-links that felt rather different, but his mind is well organized and he can deal with the telepathy. < I am detecting some strange, anomalous readings from where Beast and Marvel Girl are going. Also possible mutant signatures here, here and here. > He gives the coordinates mentally. < Sparse human life signs. > He picks the opposite direction to the energy readings, assuming sensible engineers will want to keep the main data storage devices as far as possible from those. "Daphne, Fred?" Poor Traveler, no Scooby Doo knowledge! But in either case, she is soon moving in the opposite direction with Emil. Her energy guns are out, and Emil's gun is also ready. Everyone can start to feel Marvel Girl's light presence within their head to establish the telepathic link between everyone. Emil looks surprised at his, and Traveler just says, "Just don't her pick up thoughts you don't want to broadcast." As Iron Lad follows the other two teenagers, Hope says out loud rather than through the telepathic communication link, "You may need to close your eyes Iron Lad," though her tone is...oddly sympathetic. As Beast and Marvel Girl race down the other hallway, Marvel Girl keeps part of her mind on the telepathic link. However, if she searches out for other minds, she will recognize some mutants, and one...is snuffed out even as she senses them with a scream of terror. The hallway bends around, and heads down a long corridor that is flashing red with the alarms. A few guards are coming out from an access point half way down and one points and yells. Jean Grey's eyes narrow, and she shakes her head as she keeps communicating with the others. Now is not the time to lecture Traveler that if she had let them know about this.. Jean takes a deep breath, and maintains her focus. Remembering the lesson that Emma gave her in the Danger Room. They have to keep thier priorities. Running along as the group splits up and trying to help guide them to targets. Beast continues down the hall. "You alright Daph? Your connection isn't as strong as normal. I'm getting some static. You seem distressed." He though calls out telepathically to Traveler, 'What do you want me to find down this hall when I get there?' "I rather keeping my eyes open," replies Iron Lad, his voice metallic and neutral. "What can you tell us about this place? Does is belong to one of the many criminal corporations or is it an illegal government facility?" < If there are any mutants, save them. Destroy all research material that cannot be secured. I want to destroy the facility and try to find out if this is an independent operation or if it is for a larger network, > Traveler projects to everyone else. < I currently do not know anything about those that operate it, just that they are hurting mutants. Mutants come up missing and never return after soldiers from this facility seize them. > Traveler, Emil, and Iron Lad experience a similar layout on the other end, but there are no guards down their hallway. Traveler pauses at the access door and looks toward Iron Lad for assistance in gaining entry. The guards at the access point down the hallway that Marvel Girl and Beast are running down start to open fire at the two mutants. There are about six of them, though two dodge back into the room beyond. Jean Grey focuses her mind on the guards. Blasting them if she can with an overloading series of conflicting impulses. Sleep, hate, fight. Now is not the time for subtlety. So, if she can't forcibly do something like put them to sleep, hopefully she can give them so many overloading conflicting impulses they can't focus on them and it would hopefully give the effects akin to a seizure. Beast goes bouncing up and down the hall being missed by bullets. He stars to sing, " You spin me right round, baby right round; Like a record, baby right round round round; You spin me right round, baby right round; Like a record, baby right round round round." The bullets go zipping by as he bounces. He doubles up a fist and throws it at a guard's face. If Jean doesn't knock them out, Hank will. Iron Lad places an armoured hand on the door and forces it open with a magnetic field. Unlikely to fire more alarms than what they did with the forcefield outside. In the case there is any armed guard, he stands in front of Hope and Emil. "Kidnapping American citizens, mutants or not, is a serious crime. You know that, right?" He says to Hope. Because this shouldn't be a guerrilla operation, really! Two of the guards start to seizure, a gun whipping around and blowing a third guard away into a splattering of blood. The pros and cons of messing with a mind like that. The fourth guard seems to be resisting, and raises his gun as bullets fly at Beast, "We need backup! Release the houn...," and then Beast's fists connects with his face, a crack heard as his blood sprays blood and he grumbles back to the ground. Jean won't need to continue the onslaught, as the two guards seizing will take time to recover. The two though inside the room are fighting it, one dropping into a seizure while another is punching some commands into a control screen. "It's looked the other way when it's mutants," Traveler states. "Sad, but true." And she rolls into the room with Emil behind her. It's an open lab, the smell of cleaner on the air, but in a glass protected wall is another room, a control room. Traveler opens fire with her energy handguns and even then it takes numerous shots for it to actually crack. If Iron Lad is not quick, it will be Emil that actually moves forward to take out the three scientists that were hiding in there. Jean Grey attempts to stop the guard that's trying to put in an override of sorts then, trying to physically yank him over from the wall in a telekinetic grip though to try and make the two that are still resisting up and off the floor then, if she can going to try and pry deep and over into their minds if she can while they're hopefully helpless to try and dig out any security codes or information. Beast lets Jean do the voodoo she does so well. What with making the guy punching buttons have a really bad day least she didn't make this one void himself. That's always awkward. He calls out to Traveler through his connection, 'Contact. Guards are down but they attempted to call for back up. Something called hounds.' He then starts to go through information if there's any. "The Avengers do not," notes Nathaniel. "Three human energy signatures next room, I do not believe they are augmented," he adds. He is distracted trying to figure the kind of research the lab does and Emil moves first to attack the scientists. He grunts and follows. "Let the armored people go first. I am bulletproof." Emil rolled on past Iron Lad, "My apologizes," he says so politely, before he moves beneath Traveler's energy handgun blasts. Even as the glass shatters, his gun is lifted and some carefully timed and placed shots soon end the scientists lives. There is no real emotional display on his face, as if...it did not really bother him at all. "They will not interfere with your efforts to retrieve the data, nor will they begin the research again," the young man says practically. Traveler actually says a soft, "Sorry Iron Lad," before she moves to try check out a side room which appears to be some sort of security office, and Emil heads over to the other side door. Emil says, "Wide hallway, looks like it leads to the holding facilities." And the holding facilities are where Marvel Girl and Beast are located right now. As Marvel Girl hurries after Beast to reach out telekinetically and fling the man aside, he lands hard against the wall with a grunt. But it is what is next, that is likely most horrifying to the two heroes. There are two things of great note in here, no, three really. One, are the screams, as the remaining two surviving mutants, no, make that one surviving gets bit in half by a large dog-like beast of a monster with armored platting. And that is number two, the beast monsters. They are larger than a horse, with wicked teeth. One of them roars loudly through the force field, butting at it as if to get to Marvel Girl and Beast. There are six of them, and apparently they were having their 'meal-time'. The third and final horrifying thing? The count down. On the computer console there is a twenty second count down to releasing the hounds. Jean Grey flashes over, her first thoughts being of those sorts of Hounds that she's picked up as images from Rachel's mind, of things from nightmares. Then as she comes face to face with these almost monstrous beasts, Jean lets out a yelp as she sees them, "I think this is our cue to get out of here." Jean goes to try and put up an enveloping force field in the room between her and Hank and the approaching beasts, if possible trying to fence them away. Beast looks at the computer and go, "No Bueno." He says as he gets in front of the computer. He starts to type really really quick and as quick as his furry little Hank fingers (and toes!) can type he's trying to cancel out the release program for the mutant doggies of doom. Iron Lad stares at the killing of unarmed people. "That... wasn't necessary. The have jails for people like those." He needs to seriously talk with Hope about this matter. Killing in self-defense, to defend others, is one thing. Murder could make her into a criminal, even a super-villain. Still, his hesitancy is brief. He goes straight for the computers and rips the surface panels away, quickly sending fine wires of nanites into the circuitry underneath. "Lets see how much can I control from here." < What is going on? Where are the mutants? > Traveler's thoughts project over the communication link. She herself is searching for anything of use, through the pockets of the scientists actually. Emil can be heard shooting the locks on the company 'foot lockers' as the break room actually leads into residential rooms. < Anything useful Emil? > < Personal effects, could try and track the hiring company through their family members. Only thing I can think of. That is the correct word, 'company'? > < Yes Emil, it is. > Apparently Traveler has been trying to catch Emil up on modern day corporations. Marvel Girl boosters the force fields of their cages, and Beast is fighting the system to stop the release. When he strives to do so, he finds he cannot. It's a one-way system, no reverse. It would need to be shut down and then rebooted back up afterwards. NOT USEFUL! Eight seconds gone. Jean Grey calls out, "Hank, I'm not going to be able to keep them in forever!" And they're likely too strong for her to be able to do something like snap their necks with her telekinesis or do something else to try and immobilize them. Jean can feel the battering of the hounds and realize...her force fields would not hold them, but it is good to know by her linking her power with the current ones to test the hounds strength. She will know quickly, her and Beast only have 12 seconds to live. Beast looks back to Jean, "Then drop your force fields. We have twelve seconds before the release. He frowns. But this is not working." He gets on mind link, 'Okay Scooby gang, I'm mixing metaphors. We're 4th and long without the punt team on the field. 8 seconds on the clock. It's a Hail Mary play. Those force fields are going down. Traveler can we get the people out of here? I'm looking for a self destruct sequence.' He looks back to Jean, "Jean can you remove that grate on that vent, the one that is Hank Sized?" Iron Lad's soon gets to the hard-drives and begins extracting information directly, but there is nothing he can use immediately. No control codes, just scientific data. "Research and experimental information. They must have a different network for security. There is little I can do from here," he admits. Emil gets the reading, racing back along the hall that leads toward the holding cells where he was at the residential/break room area. "We got to go, NOW!" Even Jean would pick up Emil's concern for Hope and almost like...he expected something like this. Even he cannot stop from projecting the pain and acceptance together. Traveler looks at Emil and nods, < Getting everyone out now. Go for the exit, immediately. > The bonus is Traveler may not be picked up by these gene sniffers, with Nathaniel and Emil being base-line humans for the most part. That means Marvel Girl and Beast are under the most danger. Beast would likely realize this. Traveler looks back to Iron Lad, "We got to go." Security room is off to the side, but Traveler starts to run toward the exit with Emil, "Don't worry about it, just book it!" She doesn't realize how bad this is yet, or the fact that letting these things out in the world would be a nightmare. Beast does finally find the self destruct sequence, and when activated, it has a minute. The second ticker for the force fields has only four seconds left, and the self destruct sequence? 58 seconds remaining. Jean Grey closes her eyes, "Let's go." She goes over to then try and pick up Hank if permitted to literally fly along with him then at high speed telekientically as fast as she can then, heading out the way she came. Going to if she can as she flies with hopefully Hank in tow or bounding along after her tossing debris behind to hopefully slow the chasing hounds. Beast engages the self destruct and then finds himself and his office chair getting picked up. "Uhm.... Warn a boy before you do this." He says with a smile, "And lets get the hell out of here." Nathaniel genetics are a peculiar thing given the timeline where he was born. But his armor is sealed and should prevent scannings. When Hope announces they are evacuating, he sighs and retracts the scanning tendrils. "They are working in creating biological weapons. I have some files, but not everything." He hurries out of the lab, taking the lead again. Traveler is running down the hall with Emil at her side, both keeping up with one-another with Iron Lad taking the lead. The crewed are coming around the corners, and the youngun's can hear the baying sounds as they rip through the hall. "What the hell IS that!" And as the crew runs, they will see the horror skidding around the corner, another crashing and shaking its head as four more climb over it to get at Beast and Marvel Girl. "No...no! Not THEM!" Fear...shoots through Traveler. She has heard about these monsters, and she pales with honest fear. "They...shouldn't exist yet." Emil's eyes get really wide, horror-filled. Even he pales. But he skids to a halt as Traveler runs past him, and she pauses to spin back to reach back and grab his arm. "We have to bodyslide!" "You would let them free into the world then!" Great, the couple is having an argument while death is baying at them! At this point, they have little time, both to fight and to escape. Jean does something that she probably shouldn't, but she knows if she waits it might get too late. And Hope and her friends will die, and she and Hank will be in no position to save them. So Jean goes to telepathically shut down the parts of Hope's brain if she can responsible for fear. Leaving Hope if it works in a flood of adrenaline, but none of the self-restraint caught back by flashbacks, of memories, of fear. Just the rising power it brings in her. Beast flies along with Jean, "Agh! I should really cut down on the Twinkies. Marvel Girl Faster is good." He says curling up in a fetal position to keep the dogs from biting his toes off." "Biological weapons," mutters Iron Lad. "Stay close to me! My forcefield is designed to stand nuclear weapons." As soon as the others are close enough, he raises the shield around himself wide enough to block the monsters from passing in the hallway. "But I agree, we can not let these creatures go. They have to be destroyed." His right arm armor is re-configuring into a high energy weapon. Force blasts are not going to cut it, he is going for a plasma pulse canon. Hope's expression changes as that part of her brain is turned off. "Then we kill them. It's that simple." Yep, lack of fear, lack of concern over consequences! "If I can get swallowed whole, I can blow it up from the inside." And deal with the stomach acid, BAD idea for someone without a healing factor. "Are you crazy?!" Emil's reaction to her MASTER PLAN!!! "Fine! You go first!" Even as Traveler starts to turn about and realize that Iron Lad has raised a shield, Emil leaps forward and does something that Beast would compare to the Spock move, and Traveler crumbles out cold in his arms, "Iron Lad, try and hold them off! Jean, I need you to grab Hope, now!" As soon as Emil feels Hope being telepathically lifted from his arms he says, "Keep in telepathic contact with me, I'm going to raise the force field again so they can't get out to chase you! No go!" And he is running back down the hallway toward the security room that Traveler had found earlier. At this point, Jean would acknowledge Emil's instructions, and would go to try and yank along with the other redhead as well, if possible to try and tug and yank hope along with them, after a moment calling out to Iron Lad telepathically ~Can you put something on him to teleport him out as soon as he has the force fields up on those things?~ Beast goes hurtling along with Jean. The furry mutant moving to gather up Hope in his arms. Hey it had to be easier for Jean. "So hate this. So going to burn my copy of resident evil.... and Cujo. Oh I hate Cujo." "Form inside, what??!" Nathaniel's eyes widen when the creatures start hitting his forcefield. He doesn't like the power readings a bit, even his plasma canon might be insufficient if they are as tough as they are strong. Where is Hulk when you need him? Nathaniel says, "Emil, come back here!" He yells, too late. ~ I cannot do that - But I suppose I can theoretically time-jump and retrieve him later. Assuming the space-time coordinates allow for it ~ Which he has no time to calculate right now." Iron Lad can feel the monsters throwing themselves against his forcefield. He is very thankful for his force field right now, as without it they would likely rend his armor if all six got to him. But the problem is, they can be somewhat intelligent. As two of them start working together to start ripping at the wall to get ouside and around Iron Lad. Hope is partially lifted by Jean in her approach, and Beast grabs her into his arms. Traveler moans softly as she starts to come too, it only knocked her out for a short bit. Emil can be heard telepathically, << I am in the security room. I am searching for the way to turn it....got it! Alright, run! We cannot afford to risk these getting out of here. If Iron Lad's forcefield can old, he can block their path while I activate the force field. Hurry...please." The count down has started, twenty seconds before self-destruct. Jean Grey gives a nod rapidly along the mental link to Iron Lad. Not sure -what- it means, but it means that he can hopefully yank Emil out along with them later. She takes a breath, "All right." Zooming along to the surface< hope and Hank in tow. Hoping against hope that whatever plan the two others can come up with will work. Iron Lad retreats a few steps and opens fire to the first creature as it tears through the wall. No, he doesn't want to find out if his armor can stand those claws and teeth. And then the countdown starts. "20 seconds. No time. I can not leave, the forcefield has only 20 feet range. Run!" He will be fine, he can fold the forcefield into a sphere and no explosion is going to get through. If he can avoid the monsters for 20 seconds, that is. As Iron Lad is fighting for not his life in reality, but everyone else's, Emil is looking at the security cameras. He smiles sadly. "Damn....go figure. Please, be happy Hope." As soon as Jean flies past the bridge with Beast and Traveler in tow, even as one of the hounds bust through the walls to discover the crevice and roar with dissatisfaction before it gets ready to leap across it, the force field snaps up into place. Emil looks at his hands as they start to fade from existence, then his arms thinking...which Jean may pick up: < Just in time...that must have been it...delay the research and creation of these monsters... > Traveler groans again as she finishes coming awake, "Dr. McCoy...what...," and she's looking about the fear center of his brain back on. "Where is Emil? Where is Emil?! And Nathaniel!" She starts to struggle against Beast, but it isn't like she can go anywhere with Jean's TK field in place and the force field before her. "EMIL!!!" And the explosion rocks the mountain. The force field prevents it from spreading out and up, forcing it fully downward. The hound that leap across the crevice hits the force field and starts to fall down to the deep depths of the crevice, but the fiery flames of the massive power cell exploding rocks the force field and warps it even as it is force downward. It is only the fact that the stabilizers came back online and kept the forcefield in place until the last of the wires were destroyed that it prevents worse damage. Even then, once the force field fails flames and explosion spills out toward the trio that only Jean's own TK fielding protects them from further damage. Even as the flames roll onward, there is a telepathic message that strangely feels much like Rachel to Jean, but it is Emil's voice....: < Be happy my love. I was already dead, but now I can fade in peace knowing you aren't alone. > Iron Lad can feel his shields fighting off the heat and force of the explosion. It isn't nuke level so he knows he can survive it, but he is also falling at one point and he has to activate his flight abilities to prevent from disappearing into the abyss. Jean Grey is too busy focused on yanking Hank along, on making sure she has a solid grip on Hope, on making sure she's ready to telekinetically catch Iron Lad to yank him along too to be able to split her attention any further, even as the area starts to melt and explode and implode in on itself. Beast looks away and let Emil explain to Hope what he could say and do the young man justice. He keeps Hope held tight holding her. He whispers quietly, "Shhh.... It'll be alright." It is Nathaniel first real life or death battle, he should be scared out of his mind, but he is not. In fact, he is thrilled, and happy. The monsters break through the wall, but he blinds the firsts one with a burst of energy, then blows up the floor under the legs of the second, making the third one stumble and fall. They come again, recovering lightning quick, but he turns the metal floor into a weapon using the magnetic control systems, dodges a claw, blasts a fist-sized hole in the belly of another monster. Then turns, just as another of the creatures opens its maw to devour him, and he blasts with both hands inside its mouth, making it retreat screaming. He had never felt this alive. The timer reaches 0, and his armor folds the forcefield around him as the whole world turns white hot bright. Polarized lenses save his eyes, and the anti-gravity system anchors him in place. When the fireball fades, he flies up, above the crumbling remains of the factory and towards the mutant trip. ~I am alive. I am well~ He announces. There is nothing Jean can do about Iron Lad when the force field goes up into place about the facility. Nothing at all, all she could do was protect those about her. And as the fires and debris blasts away, leaving Jean to lower the force field about the trio to reveal a large crater where the facility once was.... Iron Lad hovers in the center of the nothingness, alive and well. But Traveler...she will be glad Iron Lad is well later, but right now she looks to be in shock. And when it starts to click in the nothingness she is looking at and the departing whisper of her love, her teeth grit and she refuses to cry though moisture wells up in her eyes. She just looks down at the ground, unable to say or do anything...and it will take a while as she sits there before she will be able to move to bodyslide everyone back to the hotel room.